Field of the Invention
The present invention is related generally to tampon pledgets. More particularly, the present invention is related to tampon pledgets that exhibit increased bypass leakage protection.
Description of Related Art
Both in-vivo and in-vitro testing has shown that current tampon pledgets do not protect well against bypass leakage. In-vivo testing shows that the typical woman places the tampon too deep into the vaginal canal and is not optimally placed to absorb fluid. In-vitro testing confirms that pledget expansion is not optimal. With both of these insights it is known that there is a propensity for the tampons to leak prematurely, i.e., bypass leakage.
There have been many attempts in the prior art to address bypass leakage. Examples include providing a tampon pledget with various pre-expanded, compressed shapes designed to conform to a user's anatomy upon insertion into the vagina. One particular drawback with the pledget having a pre-expanded shape is that it may be difficult to house the pre-shaped pledget in a typical cylindrical applicator tube due to its shape. Also, once housed in the applicator, the pledget having the pre-expanded shape may exert additional forces on the walls of the barrel due to its shape, which in turn could cause excess friction during expulsion, requiring additional force to expel the pledget from the applicator. The additional required force could make using the applicator difficult and in some cases actually cause deformation of the applicator, making its use extremely difficult.
Therefore, there remains a need in the tampon art for a tampon pledget that mitigates or all together prevents bypass leakage, while also avoiding the drawbacks associate with the prior art. The present invention meets this need.